For the week of January 22 - 28, 2003

Idaho photographer a part of Lewis & Clark Bicentennial

---

By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer

Eight years ago, Angel Wynn, a Bellevue photographer and videographer, was inspired to capture the landscapes along the historic Lewis & Clark Expedition trail. She wanted to document changes in the 200 years since Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, along with their entourage that included their Shoshone guide Sacagawea, to explore the new Western territory.

The bicentennial of this trailblazing expedition began last week with an official ceremony at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home in Charlottesville, Va.

"I wanted to be a part of the celebration for the bicentennial," said Wynn, a history buff.

Photo by Angel Wynn

Last year several of her trail images were used to illustrate 2003 and 2004 Lewis & Clark calendars. Wynn also chose 55 images from her file of over 80,000 to create postcards and notecards named "Lewis & Clark Among the Indians."

Wynn’s photo stock business has been a major supplier of Native American photographic images used by publishers, magazines, calendars and educational CD-Roms. Often while photographing at tribal homelands she would find herself near Lewis & Clark sites.

"The trail goes through the Nez Perce and the Blackfoot areas in Idaho and Montana," she said. "It used to be a real chore locating these obscure spots, but now there’re signs and arrows pointing to virtually all locations along this route."

Among her favorite spots is the Columbia River Gorge and the area around Lapwai on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation, east of Lewiston, Idaho.

"Along Lemhi Pass and the Weippe Prairie almost nothing has changed. This is where they first encountered the Nez Perce," Wynn said. Lemhi Pass is where the Corps of Discovery first crossed the Continental Divide into present day Idaho and obtained horses from the Shoshone. Weippe is where the Nez Perce fed the starving troop after its arduous trek over the Bitterroot Mountains.

The bicentennial celebration commemorates the three-year time period that Lewis and Clark journeyed to the Pacific Ocean and back to St. Louis. Because of the timeline, the anniversary in Idaho will occur June 14-17, 2006, in Lewiston and Lapwai, sponsored by the Nez Perce. In actuality the expedition crossed Lemhi Pass on July 27, 1805.

"At the centennial (celebration) 100 years ago the Indians weren’t even invited," Wynn said. "If it wasn’t for the Indians that expedition would have failed. They needed food and horses. If they hadn’t got the horses from the Lemhi (Shoshone), they would have turned back. I want to hear what the Natives say about the trail."

Wynn’s postcards and calendars are available at both, the Sun Valley/Ketchum Ski & Heritage Museum and Pro Photo in Ketchum. Online they can be ordered through www.nativestock.com, www.tide-mark.com or www.lewisandclark.com.

 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.